In the past, the second joint of the wing of a fowl has been sliced longitudinally so as to separate this second joint into two separate parts. One prior art machine has semiautomatically severs the second joint so as to separate it into two pieces. This prior art device includes a pair of rotatable discs having opposed inwardly opening recesses, each pair of which receives a second joint of the wing. These two discs are separated by a central spacer plate to provide a circumferential space between the discs, for receiving a stationary knife which is engaged by each wing, as the discs move the second joints in a rotary or orbital path. There is also a cam for automatically ejecting the cut pieces of second joint after such pieces have been severed.
The structure described above, while being capable of severing both of the cartilages which join the ulna and radius bones of the wing together, is slow in operation and requires dexterity on the part of the operator so as to insert the successive second joints into successive opposed pairs of slots as the discs are rotated.
An improvement over the prior art device described above is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,631. While that invention provides a much more versatile and easily operated machine over other prior art machines which is believed to be faster and provides a superior job of cutting either one or both cartilages of the second joint, use of that machine over time has led the applicant to realize that improvements over that initial design can be implemented.